The Êzidxan Women's Units (Kurdish:Yekinêyen Jinên Êzidxan‎ or YJÊ) is a Yazidi all-women militia formed in Iraq in 2015 to protect the Yazidi community in the wake of attacks by the Islamic State and other groups that see all Yazidis as pagan infidels.[3]

YJÊ are women fighters trained by the Kurdistan Workers' Party guerillas to defend themselves against Islamist extremists.

An offshoot of the mixed-gender Yazidi militia Sinjar Resistance Units (YBŞ), the YJÊ was founded on 5 January 2015 under the original name of Yekîneyên Parastina Jin ê Şengalê (Kurdish:Sinjar Women’s Protection Units‎), or YPJ-Sinjar.[1] The militia adopted its current name on 26 October 2015.[4]

Activity

In October 2015, the YJÊ participated in the foundation of the Sinjar Alliance as an all-Yezidi joint commando umbrella structure. Besides their mixed-gender pendant, the Sinjar Resistance Units (YBŞ), the formerly Peshmerga-aligned Protection Force of Sinjar (HPŞ)[7] and other, independent Yezidi units committed to the united Yezidi front.[8]